Jan 8 2020 Romans 13: 8-10

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Jesus had it right. Love God. Love your neighbor. Yes, there are 10 commandments, but if you look at them, the first four are all about Loving God. The next six can absolutely be summed up by Love your Neighbor. It’s not that the top 10 aren’t important. But it’s like legislation that’s written, or a parent’s rules laid down. Think about the intent, and only be as specific as you need to be, lest you unintentionally create a loop hole. Don’t go to this scary movie with out me, a parent says. Ok, I’ll abide what you say, and go to that scary movie without you, is the child’s response. Better to say, don’t go to any scary movie without me.

Such is difference between God’s law as explained by Moses compared to Jesus. God’s law, as inscribed on the tablets for Moses were precisely what the people needed at that time. They needed everything spelled out. And sometimes I do too. Generalities presume a common understanding, and a shared application. When in doubt, be specific. Don’t covet your neighbor’s house.

But sometimes generalities are needed, because people are tricky and work around the specifics. You shall not murder. Hmm. It doesn’t say anything about neglect, or slander. I guess that’s ok.

Along comes Jesus who clarifies by generalizing. Nope. Love God. Love your neighbor. That’s it. No murder, no slander, no neglect.

Sometimes I feel pretty good about my walk in this world. I haven’t murdered, committed adultery, or stolen anything. Check, check, check. Sometimes I need that kind of checklist. But sometimes, I forget that the checklist is just examples of the two great commandments; they’re illustrative, not exhaustive. Love God. Love your Neighbor. Oh, right. That’s humbling, because although they’re easier to remember, it’s much harder to do, because they’re so much more comprehensive.

This morning’s pre-trip reflection is about not taking gratuitous pictures of the hard things we’ll see. Don’t take the photo of the abject poverty if it will humiliate the subject of the photo. They wouldn’t want that moment captured for eternity or shared on social media any more than I’d want some of those moments in college shared. Clearly, there’s nothing in the ten commandments about not taking unflattering pictures. But it’s covered in Love your Neighbor.

This morning, I’m thinking about Loving my Neighbor, in all the very particular ways I’ll be given the opportunity to do that today. A kind word to my husband. A smile to the homeless woman I pass in the morning. An added prayer for family members. Today, I need the generals, not the specifics. Oh, and I'm thinking about how much better things are in the morning (like this writing), rather than the evening (like yesterday's).